1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500

[Purcell69]

As much as I am tempted to slide the stock cam back in to have a running truck right now, I think the better answer is to wait until I can get my hands on another donor truck, take all the OBD-2 goodies off of it, and then sell off what I don't need to pay for a tuner. It sucks either way, but I'd rather not break open a sealed motor. Either way, it's going to be a few hours of work. Initially, the cam and gaskets are cheaper, but parting the donor truck will negate the cost after the initial expense.

In the long run, I'm going to need to undress the top of the motor anyway, when I upgrade the cylinder heads. The stock Dodge heads are prone to cracking. EQ make replacements that out flow the stock heads straight out of the box and not have cracking issues. The cost is somewhat reasonable considering the improvements, so the OBD-2 system would be more valuable at that point, taking full advantage of the bigger cam and better heads. I just need to wait until all of that is in my budget.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Wow! I can't believe I haven't updated this since September.

First off, I picked up a OBD-2 wire harness for the engine. I still need to get the appropriate computer and a tuner to have it running right, but it is one more step in the right direction. When funds permit, I'll get those items, but for now, it is still OBD-1 and doesn't like to idle.

Next on the list, I manage to score a hide-away gooseneck hitch plate on Marketplace for $50. Since I plan on using this truck to do "truck things" from time to time, it seemed a good idea. The diesel that we have may not be available for some reason and heaven forbid we have a horse that needs to go to the vet and no truck to pull the trailer.

The plate came without mounting brackets, so I ended up making my own with 4" angle bolted to the frame and the 3/8" thick hitch plate. When I installed the hitch plate, I mounted it below the bed floor just enough to allow the raised portion at the center of the plate, where the ball pops up, to sit just about flush, leaving me a smooth floor for cargo. I still need to get the actual steel for the bed floor, but when the time comes, I can cut a 12"x14" opening to match the raised portion of the plate and all will be good.

The next item was another Marketplace score. I want to keep the truck looking somewhat simple and basic, so for wheels, I felt white steels would be best. The 15" Ford truck wheels I currently have were fine for that, but required 1/4" spacers to clear the front brake calipers. For the time being, I had 1/2" washers stacked on the studs to allow clearance between the inside of the wheel and the brake caliper. Of course doing this increased the offset, pushing the front wheels out even further, something I didn't want.

Rather than spending $127 each on Wheel Vintiques rims, I decided to go with the plain steel 16" Dodge Ram 1500 wheels from a base model truck. The silver rims have a deeper offset, tucking the wheels in a bit further, close to 2" when you consider the gain from removing the washer stacks behind the wheels. I found a set in Lawton for $40. When I got there, the seller realized I am a Marine, (he was a retired SgtMaj.), and just gave me the wheels, no cost.

I cleaned them up and painted them white. I need to find a way to mount the chrome early style Chevy center caps, but otherwise they look great. I also found a pair of used but serviceable 235/85-R16 tires to get an idea of how it will all go together. The change is dramatic in comparison to the 31x10.5-15 tire and wheel combo. All in, I have $30 in the tires and wheels, not counting gas and my time.

Since I have the bed off right now, it was a good time to Weld up some holes in the back wall of the cab. At some point in the years prior to my purchase of the truck, someone drilled four 1/2" holes across the middle of the back of the cab. With the bed on the frame, I had completely overlooked them, but now they were obvious and needed to be addressed. Now, they are gone, welded shut, smoothed, filled primed and shot with a quick coat of paint to protect from rust.

All of this makes some ancient gouges on the left rear corner of the cab that much more obvious. I've never done hammer and dolly work, but since this area is pretty much out of sight with the bed installed, this seems like a good place to learn and practice. The gouge is deep enough that it raised a ridge in the inside of the cab on the back wall.

This week, I've been addressing two brackets that were never cleaned and painted when I was working on the frame. One is the right side front leaf spring perch for the rear axle. The other is the right rear upper shock bracket. As I recall, I was running out of blast media and endurance at the time, not to mention primer. It was too hot and humid to be wearing a blast hood and I don't have a cabinet blaster, so these parts were just forgotten. Either the bed off, again, they were obvious and in need of attention. I ordered up some primer and since it is now hot and humid again, the prospect of sand blasting really isn't appealing. I decided to try my hand at electrolysis to get rid of the rust. It was more time consuming, but less labor-intensive.

Each part required a two day soak in the electrolysis bucket, followed by a wash and scrub down in the kitchen sink. Once they were clean, I gave the parts an "Afterblast" bath and wiped them down before priming. Now they can be painted and bolted back on the frame. I should be done with these items this weekend if all goes well, then I can hit the frame with a fresh coat of chassis black and my work on the rear half of the frame will be done.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Here are the pictures from above.

[Purcell69]

And the gouge that "needs" repair.

[Purcell69]

The tire/wheel combo.

[Purcell69]

And here is that beast of a hitch plate. 3/8" steel should firm up the rear just a bit, lol.

I notched it to fit around the top of the gas tank. My saw guide walked a bit and I missed the corner holes that I drilled, so in the end, I welded in some 45* corners to help prevent stress cracking. In the long run, there will be a full-steel 3/16" bed floor over top of the hitch plate, with the highest part of the plate, (not counting the ball), being recessed 1/2" below the bed floor.

[Purcell69]

The weather this afternoon was perfect! When I got home from work today, I scuffed the primer coat on the back half of the frame. Once I got a good scuff on it, I washed it down and dried it, then shot the first coat of Chassis Black. If all goes well, I can get the second coat on tomorrow after work, or worst case, Tuesday morning.

-Joe

[Rickysnickers]

What the heck have you been doing for 9 months, slacker???? Just kidding. Nice work

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by Rickysnickers

What the heck have you been doing for 9 months, slacker???? Just kidding. Nice work

I've been hunting parts on the cheap, getting the daughter married off and attending her college graduation, among other things. Lol.

The weather here is finally cooperating so I can really start working on things in earnest again. It feels good to be turning wrenches again. Once I get the next coat on the frame, the hitch plate can go back on.

I still want to try my hand at bumping out that gouge and I need to snag a PCM to run OBD-2. Its all little things, but it feels good to be checking them off.

-Joe

[americanmusc1e]

I'm subbing to this so I remember to come back and read the whole thing. I have a 49 Chevy 3800 that needs a better engine and a nice 5.9 and 46re in a jeep I can't sell.

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by americanmusc1e

I'm subbing to this so I remember to come back and read the whole thing. I have a 49 Chevy 3800 that needs a better engine and a nice 5.9 and 46re in a jeep I can't sell.

If you're serious about using your Jeep drivetrain, you're already in a good position, since you have all the wiring necessary to make it run and drive.

You may also want to check out Utahawesome Performance. Marty Fletcher has been doing some fantastic work with the 5.9 Magnum platform. He's spent a lot of his own time and money developing a cam grind that will work with the stock valve springs, and improve the power output of the Magnum motor at the same time. He combines this with an SCT tuner loaded with custom tunes, designed to make the most of the cam, and lifetime support.

Since I already have a different cam, I'm going to get with Marty for the tuner and tunes to match.

-Joe

[americanmusc1e]

Thanks for the info! I do have all the wiring and I'll be keeping the mopar PCM to control the Transmission. For the engine I've pretty much figured out how I'm going to piggyback a Megasquirt MS2 ECM using a 36-1 trigger wheel on the front. The megasquirt will batch fire the factory injectors and trigger LS truck coils for Coil-near-plug spark.

This is very similar to the Megasquirt Setup that I have on the 5.3 in my C10 and I'll be able to tune the ECM myself.

It sounds like you hit the limit of the OBD1 setup with yours and are in the process of moving to OBD2. If you are interested in the Megasquirt piggyback option instead of OBD2 I can share what I know.

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by americanmusc1e

Thanks for the info! I do have all the wiring and I'll be keeping the mopar PCM to control the Transmission. For the engine I've pretty much figured out how I'm going to piggyback a Megasquirt MS2 ECM using a 36-1 trigger wheel on the front. The megasquirt will batch fire the factory injectors and trigger LS truck coils for Coil-near-plug spark.

This is very similar to the Megasquirt Setup that I have on the 5.3 in my C10 and I'll be able to tune the ECM myself.

It sounds like you hit the limit of the OBD1 setup with yours and are in the process of moving to OBD2. If you are interested in the Megasquirt piggyback option instead of OBD2 I can share what I know.

You're right. I am switching to OBD-2. The cam I have now was supposed to be "computer compatible" but it is most definitely beyond what OBD-1 will tolerate. To keep things simple, I'm just going to run the stock PCM with the SCT tuner, matched to the cam. This truck is going to be a driver rather than a go fast toy, so the Megasquirt option is going to be overkill for my needs.

I like what you've got put together with the Megasquirt and LS coil set-up as far as being unique goes. I imagine that would really blow some minds when you open the hood. I guarantee nobody would expect to see that setup on a Magnum motor. It is most definitely outside my skill set.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

The frame is now painted and the hitch plate is back on. All the brackets are back where they belong and the spring hanger is torqued down. I also mounted the under-bed spare tire carrier back in position, the first time since the truck was disassembled in 2013.

Yesterday, I began relocating the oil to water transmission cooler. This is a Cummins part that uses engine coolant to regulate the temperature of the transmission oil. The copper and brass truck radiator for the 1957 doesn't have a built in transmission cooler since my original plan was a manual transmission back 25 years ago.

The Cummins cooler was mounted on the core support at the top, next to the radiator when I first put it in. The problem is that it holds an extra quart of transmission oil which wants to bleed back to the transmission when the engine isn't running. The extra oil seeps past the o-ring seal between the dipstick tube and the transmission case over time. Obviously, the seal issue needs to be addressed, but moving the cooler to a lower position will help as well. The original mounting position had it about 2' above the transmission pan.

I found a spot that is about the same level as the transmission pan and is protected from debris. It will now be under the valance, behind the front bumper. It has free air all around it and will get additional air flow when the truck is moving.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Here are the pictures for above.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

I started in on creating the oil to water cooler brackets yesterday afternoon. The weather started to become uncooperative towards the end, so it is lacking two mounting tabs but is otherwise assembled. There is just a bit more work to do and I should be able to finish it up this afternoon and have it ready to paint and install if all goes as planned. Pictures to follow.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

One more thing I forgot to mention this morning. I found an answer to the airbag module in the middle of the steering wheel.

When I bought the donor Dodge, the airbag came "pre-deployed" after the previous owner hit a cow in the road. I really wasn't concerned as there wasn't enough damage to the front of the truck to suggest frame issues and I don't plan to put the SRS system back in to operation. I wasn't planning on using the Dodge steering column, yet here we are. While I don't "like" the look of the Dodge steering wheel, it gives me the horn buttons and cruise control, so I am willing to live with it on a certain level. I figured I would pickup an airbag module out of a junker, just to fill the ugly hole where the deployed airbag used to be. I didn't exactly want "DODGE" displayed in the middle of my Chevy cab, even if I am using the Dodge running gear. If I had to, I'd find a way to live with it.

Last night while cleaning up from the sweat and rust I accumulated while making the cooler brackets, I had a realization. I could get a vinyl repair kit and use it to fill in the Dodge letters on the new airbag cover and just leave it blank. This led to another thought that I could make a bowtie stamp, essentially a branding iron, and emboss a Chevy bowtie in the center of the new airbag cover after I filled in the Dodge letters. Branding iron took me to a whole 'nother level...Why not just have a dummy airbag cover made in leather? I know a guy that does just about anything in leather. A puffy rectangle would present little challenge. This would let me keep the horn and cruise control buttons and be a custom touch that would be one of a kind. Then I went back to the branding iron and had a few thoughts of what could go in the center instead of Dodge. I came up with an idea that I am keeping to myself until it is done, just because I don't want to see someone else to it first.

Yep. You are all going to have to wait for the finished product on this one. Not to be a tease or build up scripted drama. I'm just really proud of the airbag solution and I know the execution will be unique and worthwhile.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

The cooler brackets are done and the cooler sits exactly where I want it now. The only thing left to do is paint the brackets and hook up the plumbing. When I figured out where the cooler would go, I figured a 90* preformed heater hose would work perfectly. It just so happened that I had one of the two needed sitting on a shelf in my tool room. I just took it to the local parts store and told the counter guy, "I need one of these."

"What's it off of?" asks the counter guy.

"Hell, I don't know. It was sitting on my shelf. Just get me one more like it."

Pictures tomorrow when I get to work. The site won't let me load them from the iPad.

-Joe

[joedoh]

wooo progress! the hours are spent in the minutia, not in the milestones.


keep it up! I cant wait to see this steering wheel.

[lower50's]

Ha I love doing that to parts guys, the look on there faces..... Can't wait to see what you are doing with the steering wheel sounds fun.

[Purcell69]

I'm looking forward to it. I've got a call in to my leather guy. He's a retired state trooper that does incredible work. He's not fast and it may take a while before I ever see the finished result, but it will be worth it if he's willing to do it.

In other news, the cooler is now mounted and plumbed. I'll post up pictures when I get back to work later this week.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

I met with my leather guy this morning. He is a retired state trooper and quite an artist when it comes to saddle repair and working leather. I gave him the disassembled air bag module and we talked about what I have in mind. To say the least, he is excited about the prospects and what I have in mind. One thing about my guy, he's not fast when it comes to doing things like this, but for the level of quality, I'd gladly wait a LONG time if need be. He has a lot of irons in the fire and other work ahead of me, so I will spill the beans rather than torture everyone.

The steering wheel rim itself is wrapped in black leather from the factory, which is also part of what lead me down this path. For the air bag module, I'm going with natural leather. I don't really want it to resemble the stock module, so black is out.

Years ago, I received a small, novelty branding iron for use when grilling food. The brand itself is about the size of a half-dollar and while I think it would be a unique touch for the center of the steering wheel, it would be on the small side. We talked about this idea and he says, "Send me a picture of what you want, and I'll hand tool it in instead, with a little bigger proportion to the center of the steering wheel."

Knowing Flipper's skill and craftsmanship, I jumped at the idea. Which brought us to this...














-Joe

[Purcell69]

I've begun working in earnest in switching over the wiring to work with OBD-2. I found a seller down the road with a 1999 Ram 1500 with 4wd and the 5.9L Magnum V8 and managed to score the computer for $25. I will still need to acquire a SCT tuner and programming to work with the cam I installed, but I need to finish the upgrade to the engine management system first.

Of course, once I got the ECM, I wanted to install the new engine harness that I found last fall, only to find out Chrysler changed up the connectors between 1994 and 1996, so I would need to get the 1996 Power Distribution Center and harness as well. Just to make sure there were no additional surprises, I got the in-cab portion of the 1996 harness as well. This will also give me the data port as well to hook up a scan tool or the tuner. The one remaining hiccup is the wiring that goes to the rear portion of the frame for the fuel tank, rear ABS and rear lighting. The 1994 harness has ten wires through one connector. The 1996 uses two different connectors for a total of twelve wires. I don't have that last portion of the harness for the 1996, just the connectors and pigtails, so I will have to match up the needed circuits.

The new PDC uses some funky relays that seems to be somewhat exclusive to Chrysler products. They weren't included the in the harness I picked up at Pull-a-Part the other day when I bought both parts of the 1996 harness. It is slowly coming together.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

From July 6, 2018

Again, no new pics, but I managed to get the engine harness installed yesterday. I still need to mount the PCM/ECM on the inner fender and there is a difference between 1994 and 1996 for the AC compressor plug. I have a 1999 compressor, but I doubt it is any good. I may steal the plug off it and splice it to the 1994 compressor. That way, if the 1994 compressor is bad or needs to be replaced, I can opt for the newer compressor and all the plugs will still match up without having to monkey with the wire harness itself.

I also have a service manual for 1996 on order so I can get the schematics I need, and a full set of those oddball Chrysler relays are en route as well. If everything goes right, I may be able to try and start it with the new ECM and harness by this time next week.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Yesterday, July 13, 2018...

Well, I got the relays I needed. The manual was on CD and it was NOT the factory manual and did not include the full schematics and wire codes for 1996, so I was left to wing it with regard to the twelve wires that are for the rear half of the truck. I managed to match up nine of the original ten wires based on the color codes being the same. The only one that did not have an immediate match was the power for the fuel level sender, as 1994 used a solid blue wire and 1996 has two variations for blue wires with assorted stripes and one other that I don't recall the color on. Most of these are related to the rear lights and right now I don't need a fuel gauge, so none of these should be the no-start issue.

I plugged everything back in and tried to start it yesterday, but no luck. I have power to the ignition switch, but nothing happens when I turn the key. There is a stray wire from the engine compartment side of the 84-way connector which may or may not be involved, but without the 1996 version of the Dodge big book of knowledge, I am having to find the counterpart to that wire on the other half of the plug, under the dashboard. It also may be an issue in either the fuse panel or the PCM, if the PCM was setup with factory security, since I don't have the ignition switch or key from the donor truck.

When I turn the key on, my cooling fan works as it should, so I know there is power that far, but the fuel pump does not spin up and the starter motor doesn't engage to crank the engine. More digging to do.

-Joe